The economy is recovering quickly! Just look at the rebounding jobs market. But in a recent podcast, Peter Schiff poured cold water on the notion that falling unemployment is necessarily a sign of an impending economic boom. After all, people going back to work do not reflect actual job creation.
So, this week was April Fools’ day. I’ve never really been into practical jokes, but I did post something on Facebook to mark the day.
“Taxation is the price we pay for a civilized society.”
Amusingly, a few people actually took me seriously. They don’t know me very well!
Joe Biden unveiled his massive infrastructure spending plan complete with tax increases this week. The president says it will create “opportunities.” But what about the opportunities that will never be realized because Biden and company went on a spending spree with our money? Host Mike Maharrey talks about it in this week’s Friday Gold Wrap podcast, along with the latest precious metals and Fed news.
A bill introduced in Congress would repeal capital gains taxes on gold and silver.
Alex Mooney (R-WV) introduced HR2284. Titled the Monetary Metals Tax Neutrality Act, the legislation would eliminate capital gains, losses and all other federal income calculations on gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars and coins.
Joe Biden unveiled details of his $2 trillion-plus infrastructure plan complete with tax hikes. The claim is that this is going to strengthen the economy and create opportunity. Peter broke down the spending plan in his podcast and said it will do the exact opposite. It’s going to weaken the economy and destroy opportunity.
US money supply growth hit another all-time high in February as the Federal Reserve continues to churn out dollars and inject them into the economy.
As measured by the True Money Supply Measure (TMS), the money supply grew by 39.1% year-on-year. That was up slightly from January’s record growth of 38.7%.
Recently, a piece of collage art entitled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” by an artist known as Beeple, sold at a Christie’s auction for $69 million. The Wall Street Journal noted that the price was higher than any that has ever been paid for works of Frida Kahlo, Paul Gaugin, or Salvador Dali. But, before the auction, few outside the digital art world had ever heard of Beeple, which may explain why the bidding started at just $100. But the sale does not suggest a sudden re-evaluation of his talents. Instead, it is a stunning statement about the medium of the art itself or, more precisely, the lack of it. In fact, “Everdays: The First 5000 Days” isn’t made out of anything you can touch. It is entirely virtual.
We have been saying that given the extraordinary level of money printing the Fed has done since the beginning of the pandemic, a wave of price inflation is coming down the pike – perhaps even hyperinflation. But many will be quick to remind us that we raised the warning flag about inflation when the Fed launched three rounds of quantitative easing in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. In fact, Paul Krugman has been doing victory laps again – reminding everybody that the inflation monster never did come out of its lair and promising it won’t this time either.
Basic economics tells us that increasing the supply of money without a corresponding increase in the number of goods and services in the economy should lead to rising prices. Is basic economics wrong? Or are there other things going on in the economy that suppressed or hid inflation in the aftermath of the great recession?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, government debt and money printing are off the chart. This is creating inflationary pressure. Prices are on the rise. And this is by design. In fact, the Fed has been promising more inflation for years. As Peter Schiff explains, it looks like this is one promise the Fed is going to keep.
The Russian Finance Ministry has given the green light for the Russian National Wealth fund to diversify and invest in gold and other precious metals. According to a report by RT, this is part of a broader move to de-dollarize the wealth fund.
